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2018 NHL mock draft: Western Conference teams

By Derek Grochowski

WORCESTER, MA - MARCH 25: Quinn Hughes #43 of the Michigan Wolverines skates the puck against the Boston University Terriers during the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Northeast Regional Championship Final at the DCU Center on March 25, 2018 in Worcester, Massachusetts. The Wolverines won 6-3 and advanced to the Frozen Four in Minnesota. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Quinn Hughes
WORCESTER, MA - MARCH 25: Quinn Hughes #43 of the Michigan Wolverines skates the puck against the Boston University Terriers during the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Northeast Regional Championship Final at the DCU Center on March 25, 2018 in Worcester, Massachusetts. The Wolverines won 6-3 and advanced to the Frozen Four in Minnesota. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Quinn Hughes /
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REGINA, SK – MAY 27: Noah Dobson #53 of Acadie-Bathurst Titan lines up against the Regina Pats at Brandt Centre – Evraz Place on May 27, 2018 in Regina, Canada. (Photo by Marissa Baecker/Getty Images)
REGINA, SK – MAY 27: Noah Dobson #53 of Acadie-Bathurst Titan lines up against the Regina Pats at Brandt Centre – Evraz Place on May 27, 2018 in Regina, Canada. (Photo by Marissa Baecker/Getty Images) /

7. Vancouver Canucks – Noah Dobson

With the seventh overall pick in the draft, the Vancouver Canucks will acquire one of the best defensemen in the Canadian Hockey League. Noah Dobson proved that he was one of the best with a strong performance at the Mastercard Memorial Cup tournament. The Memorial Cup takes the top team in each league of the CHL and plays them against each other. Dobson carried the Acaide-Bathurst Titan to a championship. Even more impressive is the fact that just a few days later Dobson was in Buffalo, New York, to partake in physical testing at the NHL Combine. Dobson tested very well with essentially no offseason to train.

He is extremely responsible in his own zone and was able to use his skating ability to make plays in all three zones of the ice. Not only is he talented defensively, he also carries a strong shot that generates plenty of offense. He was able to rack up 69 points in 67 games in the QMJHL this season, strong numbers for a defenseman. This year’s draft is loaded with top end defenseman. Players like Rasmus Dahlin and Quinn Hughes are the flashy names at the top of the board, but Dobson will end up being remembered in that tier when their playing days are over.

Defense makes sense for the Vancouver Canucks at pick No. 7. There is a lot of good options at forward in this draft. The loss of both Sedins would make it look like forward is the bigger need. However, a further look shows that the Canucks need to add more on their blue line. Olli Juolevi is the next promising defenseman, but he is coming along a little slower than Vancouver would’ve liked. Meanwhile, center Elias Pettersson looks promising and Brock Boeser may have won rookie of the year before his injury.

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